Honey-sweet Winnie the Pooh cakes now on sale — and you’ll love the packaging! 【Taste Test】

Winnie the Pooh definitely loves his honey, doesn’t he? Well, here in Japan, August 3 is apparently “Honey Day” (Hachimitsu no Hi), based on the fact that the numbers eight (hachi) and three (san, or sometimes pronounced mittsu when counting objects), sounds like honey in Japanese (hachimitsu) when combined. And in honor of the day that celebrates his favorite food, Pooh bear has teamed up with Japanese confection maker Ginza Cozy Corner to offer the sweets-loving Japanese public some honey-flavored goodness this summer. It’s the Honey Lemon Madeleine featuring adorable Winnie the Pooh packaging, and of course, we had to try some ourselves!

Madeleines, the small baked cakes originally from France, have long been a popular treat in Japan, so it’s not hard to imagine that just the name Honey Lemon Madeleine would sound attractive to Japanese sweets fans. Add to that Winnie the Pooh’s cute factor, and you can’t be that far off from a winning combination, so yes, we were excited about trying the cakes!

▼We bought a box of seven madeleines for 540 yen (US$5.30). Isn’t the box just adorable? The packaging alone is sure to elicit squeals of delight from Disney and sweets lovers alike.

▼Here’s a look at the box from the sides, showing Pooh playing peek-a-boo.

▼And here’s a look at the other side, with Pooh looking supremely content with his pot of honey.

▼Yes, the madeleines are a limited-time summer offering!

▼Here are all the individually packaged madeleines out of the box.

▼Each of the packages come with one of four Winnie the Pooh illustrations, which are randomly packed into the box so that you don’t know how many of which illustrations you’ll get until you open yours. The box we bought contained three types of illustrations. Here’s one, with a smiley Pooh.

▼This is another one that was in our box.

▼And here’s the third illustration that was in our box, of Pooh holding some flowers.

▼And now, it was time to open the package and take out a madeleine! Yay!

▼Here’s what the madeleine looked like out of the package — it was made in a pretty shell shape.

▼Here’s close-up of the golden brown cake … lovely! We were certainly ready to get a taste.

So, how did the madeleine taste? When we took a bite of the cake, the soft texture stood out — not a fluffy softness, but a nice, moist texture. As we took in the flavor, the refreshing taste of lemon was definitely recognizable, with the honey adding a gentle sweetness. Overall, the madeleine was satisfyingly flavorful without being too sweet, which should make it perfect for a light snack, even for children. And you know kids will just love seeing all those Pooh illustrations!

Cozy Corner also has a box of 16 madeleines available for 1,080 yen (US$10.65), which comes in a regular shaped box but also with a cute Winnie the Pooh illustration, which should make for a great summer gift.

The Winnie the Pooh Honey Lemon Madeleines are available until August 17, and as a special Honey Day present, if you buy Cozy Corner’s Honey Lemon Chiffon Cake or Honey Lemon Waffle on August 3, they’ll give you a free Pooh Honey Lemon Madeleine as a gift! So if you like sweets and are going to be in Japan this summer, you may want to be prepared for some honey and lemon action. We, for one, are certainly prepared!